Taylor, the son of former Florida great Fred Taylor, emerged as a breakout star late in the season for the Gators, taking advantage of extra opportunities provided to him by injuries. With little passing threat to alleviate pressure from the run game, Taylor still averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

Florida commit David Sharpe, rated by 247Sports as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the country, might be a candidate to provide immediate support along the line.

If the Gators can show new toughness along the offensive line under new line coach Mike Summers and Driskel can progress under Roper, they can absolutely be the surprise team in the country.

Florida might never have been as good as its 11-2 record in 2012 indicated. Remember, it survived several close calls, including nail-biters against a 5-7 Missouri team and Louisiana-Lafayette from the Sun Belt.

However, the Gators aren’t nearly as talent-deprived as they appeared to be in 2013.

Florida seems likely to bounce back during Muschamp’s hot-seat season, especially considering the top three teams in the SEC East—Missouri, South Carolina and Georgia—break in new starting quarterbacks.

Turnarounds like the one seen from Auburn don’t come around every year. They don't come around every decade, for that matter.

If there’s a team most likely to follow a similar script, though, it’s Florida.